


seven

by ryan1975



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Anxiety, Coming Out, Demons, Depression, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Moving Out, Recovery, Seven Deadly Sins, will update tags as written
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-27
Updated: 2017-09-28
Packaged: 2019-01-05 23:55:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12199830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryan1975/pseuds/ryan1975
Summary: pride, wrath, gluttony, lust, sloth, envy and greed.those are the names of the demons that live in tyler’s new apartment.but is it necessarily a bad thing that they’re making him learn to take care of himself?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi this was an impulse write and im not sure where it’s going or if i’ll even update but let me know if u even want to see more bc this was fun to write and i got the concept from a tumblr post

tyler still wasn’t sure is this was a nightmare or not.  
he set his bags down in his new apartment and simply stood where he was, glancing around like he was scared to touch, as if someone else already lived there.  
the single lightbulb stuck into the ceiling flickered, barely illuminating the room, casting a dim, haphazard glow on a couch with questionable stains, a refrigerator that made noises reminiscent of a rusty car engine, and a scratched and worn tile floor that looked like it had jumped straight out of the 60’s with its crisscrossed, nauseatingly bright blue and orange.  
it had been the only apartment in the area readily available for him to move in on such short notice, so he couldn’t complain.  
what a birthday, he thought to himself, shoving his hands into his pockets and walking toward the back of the cramped apartment.  
think of the positives, he reminded himself.  
he was by himself now, so he could go get taco bell whenever he wanted.  
hell, he was on the first floor, so it was a much shorter commute than it would be if he were, say, on the third floor of this lord-knows-how-old of a building.   
as he pondered this, a loud bang came from above, followed by multiple footsteps that tyler swore came from steel toe boots.   
“or a fucking elephant,” he sighed.  
the doorknob to the bedroom was stuck. tyler struggled with it for five minutes before discovering that if he kicked the bottom of the door right as he twisted the knob violently to the left, it lurched open, practically leaving him sprawled over himself as he nearly fell.  
the bedroom smelled of mothballs, cigarette smoke, and cats, but other than that, the twin sized bed and peeling butterfly wallpaper weren’t too bad. dated, but functional.  
“no smoking. not a single person smoke in this building. you out if you smoke.” the landlord had warned pointedly in a thick russian accent.  
he’d also told tyler no drinking, yelling, or girls after 2 am.   
tyler snorted. not that girls would be much of a problem.  
the thought made his slightly elevated mood fall again, and he suddenly didn’t feel like standing, so he flopped onto the bare mattress, choosing to ignore the protesting creak of the springs.  
he couldn’t believe this was real.  
the conversation at his house- well, now his parent’s house,- had gone smoothly until he’d said it.  
if he could have just kept his mouth shut, he’d be home, probably helping his mother do laundry or something.  
the day before his birthday, and his parents were going on about how he was gonna find a nice girl, settle down, go to college, on and on and on, until tyler finally chuckled and blurred out, “actually, i don’t think i like girls.”   
the deafening silence that followed made tyler shudder when he realized what he’d done. he didn’t mean to say it, it had just happened, and now-  
“tyler robert joseph, you think about what you’re saying and if you want to rethink it or not.” his father had muttered coldly over his bowl of soup, avoiding eye contact with his only son as tyler’s mother put her face into her hands and shook.  
one day from eighteen, tyler gave up the facade and cleared his throat.  
“i’m gay.” he boldly restated.  
“then you’d better have your things packed and be out of my house by tomorrow morning, or so help me god, i will force you out myself.”  
tyler was stunned.  
“but, i, i don’t understand, im still your son-“ tyler managed, going over the coming out speeches he’d planned for years in his head and trying to find a response to this.  
“you’re not our son if you’re going to be engaging in that sinful lifestyle. we provided for you, we raised you well, and this is how you repay us?” his mother sobbed, folding her hands and shaking her head.  
“GO. now.” his father warned finally, and tyler flinched, calmly standing from the table, throwing away his soup, and pushing in his chair before running to his room.  
well, his old room.  
now his room was this small space with a bed and a small nightstand that was ridden with scrapes.  
he didn’t want to move ever again.  
he had work tomorrow, he had to get up and get settled in, he had so much to do,-  
no. not right now, he decided.  
he might as well just give up now, there was no point to dealing with this shit anymore.   
“there’s nothin‘,” he muttered to himself.  
he pulled out his phone and dialed his boss.  
“this tyler?” her voice came on the phone.  
“yeah, ‘m not gonna be able to come in tomorrow.” he told her.  
a sigh. “tyler, if this is that bullshit with your depression or whatever, you know you can get out of bed, you’re more than that, you can’t just let your life waste away-“   
“i got kicked out,” tyler interrupted, voice cracking.  
another sigh, followed by silence.  
“tyler, i need somebody who’s gonna be reliable and here on time. if you can’t do that, then... i’m not sure what i can do.” she told him defeatedly.  
tyler’s blood ran cold. he needed a job, he had a place he needed to afford, he had to pay for himself...   
the shitty wallpaper felt like it was caving in on him as he choked on words, unsure of what to say.  
“you don’t have to come in tomorrow, tyler. or the rest of the week. im sorry, i hope things go well for you.” she finally concluded.  
“no, no, i need a job, please, i need to pay for this place, i can’t...”  
she had already hung up.  
tyler felt empty and cold as he put his head down and dropped the phone, turning on his side and curling his legs to his chest as a sob crawled out of his chest and he closed his eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

tyler woke up again at about 3 am to a loud bang upstairs that forced him to pry his eyes open and everything from the day to flood back in and make him feel physically winded. he wanted to go back to sleep forever, it seemed nicer than how he felt right now.  
he missed his parents.  
he missed the security of his job.  
he missed being safe and okay at home.  
and yet here he was, eyes bloodshot and head pounding with a new headache, with his upstairs neighbor yelling at someone and throwing things around.  
he rolled his eyes and shivered, realizing he was in his boxers and a t-shirt, and got out of the small bed, cringing at the loud creak.  
wait.  
he hadn’t gotten into PJs before going to sleep, had he?  
he struggled to remember the afternoon before, confused.  
shaking his head and decidedly forgetting about it, he dragged himself to the living room where he’d left his bags, struggling with the bedroom door again.  
the past twenty four hours were a blur, anyways, and he couldn’t bring himself to care much.  
he knew he wasn’t going to be able to sleep anymore, so he left his apartment and locked it behind him, forcing himself to go to the 24 hour store down the road instead of laying in that room for any longer.  
he didn’t have much money since he’d just paid a months rent, so he picked out the cheapest cleaning products he could find, and then he stocked up on ramen noodles, splurging and buying some buy one, get one free 12 packs of soda.   
he supposed he’d need a bowl or two. and a pot. and a fork, spoon, knife, and plate.   
as more and more items racked on in his head, tyler cringed and felt himself deflate. he wanted to just put everything back and give up, waste away for all he cared, but he determinedly put the soda back, reaching for a gallon of water instead.   
by the time he rolled his cart to the cash register, he was certain he’d kept within his budget.  
until the cashier informed him that his card was $15 short.  
looking at all his necessities, tyler’s heart pounded in his chest.  
he needed this stuff, he needed to eat and drink and clean and sleep.   
“look, if you don’t have the money, you’re gonna have to put some of this stuff back, man.” the unamused cashier informed him.  
tyler desperately searched his wallet, then his pockets, even though he knew he had nothing.  
or did he?   
he felt something in his pocket, and he promptly pulled out a $100 bill.  
his hands were shaking as he stared at it intently, wondering where the fuck it had come from.  
he certainly didn’t have that type of money? he knew that.  
then what was this?  
the cashier snatched the bill and checked it up against the light, squinting at the bill before sighing.  
“that was lucky.” he mumbled with an edge of sarcasm, counting out tyler’s change and handing him his bags.  
“have a wonderful night.”   
tyler was still bewildered as he managed a weak “you, too,” and carried his bags out to his car.  
when he was in the car by himself, he sat for a moment, in complete shock.  
had he stolen that? no, no, he wouldn’t have stolen, he was certain. then who had put it there?   
“not mom and dad...” he thought aloud. “they wouldn’t give me shit...”   
“but i would.”  
tyler felt like his soul was leaving his body with how much the voice he heard scared him.  
he screamed shrilly, accidentally slamming his hand on the car horn and whipping around.  
he saw himself face to face with a man a little older than him, wearing a pinstriped suit and leaning back with a cigar between his lips and his hair slicked back.  
“the fuck are you doing in my car?” tyler yelled, scrambling for his phone, heart racing as panic seeped through him.  
“hey, don’tcha talk to me that way, don’t ya know who i am?” the man scoffed, blowing a puff of smoke toward tyler and rolling his eyes. “mortals these days, don’t even recognize their own sins.”  
tyler felt like he was going to vomit.  
“get the fuck outta my car before i call the cops, i swear, i will-“  
the man snapped his fingers and tyler suddenly found himself unable to speak.  
“that’s better. now, i think you should listen more instead o’ runnin’ your mouth. i’m more important here, got it, kid?” the man insisted, a scowl grazing his face for a moment before he sighed.  
tyler couldn’t reply, so he shakily nodded, hand on his phone, ready to call 911 at a moments notice.  
was this a carjacking? what the fuck was this?  
“the name’s superbia. though most of you humans know me as pride.” he said, extending a hand as the other one adjusted the cigar.  
tyler felt his throat relax, and he looked at the man’s hand incredulously.  
“pride? what does that mean?”  
“alright, tyler, buddy, you’re gonna hafta show me some more respect, i just made sure ya didn’t make a fool o’ yourself at that store, you best thank me instead o’ treating me like i just broke into your car,” the man demanded, pulling another drag of his cigar and retracting his hand back.  
tyler rolled his eyes. “you kinda did break into my car...” he pointed out.  
pride sputtered, practically dropping his cigar as he furrowed his brow.  
“can ya believe this guy?” pride mumbled to nobody in particular.  
he sighed. “guess i gotta spell this out for ya.”  
tyler frowned.  
“ya parents were christians, though you’d’ve caught on by now. seven deadly sins? probably heard of us. people think we work with the devil, usually, which we don’t. i mean, don’t get me wrong, satan’s a pretty cool guy, but that’s besides the point, let’s talk about me,” pride rambled. “i’m one of the seven, pride’s my thing, if you ain’t noticed yet. you seem pretty slow. common belief says i fly around with little devil wings and a pitchfork zappin’ people to hell and makin’ ‘em do bad shit. well i say that’s a load of bullshit.” pride nodded, pointing the cigar at tyler and pursing his lips.  
“we act of our own accord, not satan’s. ‘course, the man downstairs lets us room with him ‘n everything, he jus’ doesn’t make us do nothin’. satan’s all about free will, y’know? so lately, we’ve actually been helpin’ out folks like you, down on ya luck. miserable, lonely, depressed, ya feel?”   
tyler sighed and shook his head. “so first you break into my car, then you tell me you’re a fucking demon, now you’re calling me miserable. this is funny and all, but you gotta go, man, i have to get home.” he explained, pleasing with his eyes as he looked at pride. pride laughed. “sadly, the way we demons work, we’re stuck with ya ‘til we complete whatever we set out to do. and we’re here to give you some self confidence, to get your life back together ‘n all that jazz. no need to thank me, although i wouldn’t object to it.” pride insisted, leaning back again and smiling to himself.  
tyler groaned and slammed his hands on the steering wheel. “look, i know you’re not a demon, you’re just some drunk guy who wants a ride home, where do you live, i can drive you, you don’t have to make shit up.”   
pride’s jaw dropped.  
“look, buddy, im not just some lowlife drunk who bums rides off o’ humans. you want proof? i can give ya proof.” he sputtered in disbelief, anger rising in his voice.  
tyler snorted. “go ahead.”   
pride leaned up over the passenger seat and looked around.  
“hmm. see that cashier in the window?” pride pointed out.  
tyler choked on the strong scent of tobacco and cologne reeking from pride, but nodded.   
“watch, kid.”  
as soon as pride snapped his fingers, the cashier looked up and froze.  
tyler blinked, watching confusedly.  
“and... now.” pride said simply.  
the cashier walked away from the register, stepped outside, and began walking toward tyler’s car.  
“what the fuck, what does he want?!” tyler whispered, rolling down his window.  
“hello? uh, i think you left this behind, sir.” the cashier smiled and dropped a band of $100 bills in tyler’s lap, waving as he ran away, leaving tyler in shock as he tried to formulate a protest.  
“see? i can really help you, kid. just stop disrespecting me, okay? all that shit’s gotta stop.”   
pride took a drag on his cigar and puffed out another smoke ring as tyler’s shaking hands held the money.  
“this has to be at least ten thousand dollars, what the fuck...” tyler shook his head. “i gotta take this back, i can’t take this from him-“   
“you aren’t. he gave it to you. because you deserve it.” pride insisted.  
“no i don’t, i don’t-“  
“oh, kid, jus’ shut up already, i replaced it in the drawer, it’s all good. let yourself deserve somethin’ nice once in a while. like those sodas. they’re in here somewhere now, i went ahead and got ‘em for ya. you’re welcome.” pride explained, smirking to himself.  
tyler was still shaking as he stashed the money away in his coat pocket.  
“okay, but why me?” tyler finally managed, still unable to comprehend what this man- or demon- was saying.  
“fuckin’ humans. always askin’ ‘why me?’ as if there’s gotta be a reason. maybe we’re jus’ bored and you happened to be around. or maybe we actually look favorably upon you and you’re better than ya realize, kid.”   
tyler snorted. “i’m literally nothing. im a broke kid who got kicked out of his parents house for liking boys and i have no reason to live.”   
pride smiled. “maybe that’s ‘why you’, bud.” he stated simply, looking out the window.  
tyler sat in silence for a moment as his mind raced, trying to figure out if he was still dreaming or not.  
“ya gonna drive, buddy?” the man asked, gesturing to the wheel as he spoke, the cigar dangling from his bottom lip.  
tyler nodded, despite being unsure of why he had just agreed to take this man home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jdsjcjdk this isn’t even good it was such a good concept in my head and then in writing its shit lol Goodbye World

the whole drive home was filled with tyler’s questions that pride begrudgingly answered one by one.  
“how do demons get around?”   
“we can teleport, walk, float, whatever. we aren’t really sentient beings, bud.”   
“okay, but wouldn’t humans see you flying everywhere?”  
“nah. we only appear to who we want.”  
“so you can make anybody see you or not see you? do you look like that to everybody?”  
“i mean, uh, we pick what form we take to humans. this is usually my favorite though, i feel like it fits me well.”  
“so what do you naturally look like?”  
“something that we can’t explain to humans in their words.”  
“okay...?”  
pride let out an audible sigh of relief when they arrived at the apartment, and then promptly disappeared.  
“pride?”   
tyler glanced around, looking outside and finding nothing but the empty parking lot.  
he raised an eyebrow and frowned, shaking his head.   
was it a dream?  
“you coming inside, buddy?”   
pride appeared right outside tyler’s window, making him flinch and yell on instinct, throwing the car door open and hitting pride in the process.  
“jesus christ, stop doing that!” tyler screeched, stepping outside and popping the trunk to carry his bags inside.  
“they’re already inside, just go. i tired o’ waitin’.” pride grinned, puffing his neverending cigar absentmindedly.  
“jesus, you’re impatient,” tyler scoffed, starting down the hall with a huff.  
“why ya gotta keep sayin’ his name like that?” pride groaned.  
tyler rolled his eyes. “what, jesus?”  
“yeah, bud, it would be like... hmm, like if you walked into a church and said somethin’ like ‘hail satan’, it’s off-puttin’ and weird.” pride cringed, floating beside tyler, fiddling with his cigar.  
“alright, i’ll do my best.” tyler lied.  
pride swung tyler’s door open for him, and tyler stepped inside just as pride laughed and muttered, “have fun,” before disappearing again.  
he was never gonna get used to pride vanishing like that. he glanced around uneasily for a moment before entering his apartment.  
his refrigerator was stocked with his groceries, and the cabinets held all the things he’d just bought, conveniently placed in neat stacks and cleaned off.  
he couldn’t complain, he supposed, even if it was still strange.  
still wide awake, he decided to unpack his bag and put his clothes up. maybe make the bed. something besides wasting away, as much as it had some appeal.  
tyler sighed as he tried the doorknob and remembered it was still stuck, mumbling a curse under his breath and kicking it open.  
he dropped the bag in shock and yelped when he saw the woman in white lingerie laying on his bed.  
“hey, baby boy, how’s it going?” she smirked, twirling on of her curls on a perfectly manicured finger and sitting up.   
“what the HELL, how did you get in my HOUSE?!” tyler yelled, shielding his eyes to give the woman some privacy. he felt like he was intruding in his own house.  
“what’s wrong, tyguy? you don’t like me?” she pouted playfully, walking to him and taking his wrist gently in her hand to move his hand from his eyes.  
“no, no, stop, who are you?”   
“anything you want me to be.” she replied swiftly, running a hand down his chest.  
tyler almost laughed, gently removing her hand and huffing frustratedly.  
“are you one of pride’s buddies?” he finally realized.  
she smirked, biting her lip before sighing.  
“that fucker. i told him i had first dibs on meeting you, you’re so pretty.” she muttered.  
“okay, okay, um... you gotta go, i uh... who are you, anyways?” tyler managed, still looking away as much as he could with her still pulling his face toward her gently.  
“i’m libidine. or lust. but you can call me whatever you like, sweetie.” she winked.  
tyler chuckled to himself, still backing away.   
she finally gave up, pouting again and huffing annoyedly.   
“so what’s the problem, im not good enough for you? i can change what i look like if you got a type, talk to me.” she insisted.  
as if on cue, her hair changed from blonde curls to dark black and straight, then to firey, wavy red. her eyes and skin tone and body type changed rapidly as tyler watched, making him dizzy as he tried to focus on just one girl, until he finally shut his eyes and blurted out, “you don’t get it, im not into chicks, but it doesn’t even matter, im not in the mood to-“  
tyler’s eyes opened and his breath hitched in his throat when he realized who was in front of him.  
oh. it was... him?  
“josh from the coffee shop?” tyler whispered, feeling his heartbeat quicken.  
“gotcha.” the man smiled, crinkles spreading across his face as he did so.  
he had a smattering of freckles across his face, and light blue hair that laid across his head haphazardly in light curls, with black gauges through his ears and a pair of drumsticks in his apron that read “giovanni’s coffee” in slick script across his chest, his right arm painted in tattoos.   
“how did you even...?” tyler mumbled, at a loss for words.  
he grinned, taking tyler’s hands and looking into tyler’s eyes, grinning lightly.  
“does it matter?” he asked, leaning in toward tyler and smirking, almost laughing at the smaller boy.  
“your thoughts are so easy to read, baby boy. i took one look in that jam packed mind of yours and here i was. i’ve been here a while, huh?” lust asked, voice low as he slipped a hand onto the back of tyler’s neck.   
tyler shuddered and shook his head.   
“no, no, you’re not even josh, you were just a blonde chick not even a minute ago, this is weird...” tyler managed weakly, pulling back and clearing his throat.  
josh- er, lust- shook his head and smiled.   
“you’re so worried all the time. that’s why he hasn’t asked you out yet, you know? he thinks you’re scared of him. but he thinks about you too.” lust grinned.  
tyler flushed red, scratching the back of his head. “what does he think about me?” he asked.  
lust smirked. “let’s just say he makes me proud how he thinks about you, baby. so dirty.”   
tyler turned around and walked back to the living room, avoiding thinking about his heart pounding against his ribs and the fact that his brain had turned to putty within the last minute.  
“alright, alright, i’m just messing with you, i’ll stop.” lust laughs, and when tyler looks back, lust is back to the original blonde girl, with more clothing this time.  
tyler sighs in relief and relaxes. “thank you.” he mumbles, getting his bag and going back to setting up his bed.  
“you’re still so pretty. you’d be a catch.” she complimented him wistfully, watching him work at his sheets.  
tyler snorted. “thanks, i think. im not that special...” he insists.  
“and this is why i’m here. to make you feel sexy and confident so you can actually get laid, man.” she points out. she snaps her fingers and the bed is completely made, so tyler can pay attention.  
“you might not be so anxious and sad all the time if you got some ass. that’s where i come in, and i promise i won’t leave or rest until you’ve got that josh boy around your little finger. not that it’ll be that hard, he already likes you a lot.” she explains to tyler, sitting on the bed again and picking at her nails lazily.  
“maybe i don’t wanna get laid...?” tyler protested.  
“so you’re a romance guy, hmm? i can do that, too. i got you, baby boy.” she promised, taking tyler’s hands in her own and kissing him on his cheek lightly.  
tyler felt a light comfort settle in his stomach when she was near, which contradicted everything he expected about demons.  
he guess he wasn’t that upset that he’d been wrong.   
although he was still convinced that josh didn’t give him a passing thought. drummer boy? thinking about him? the thought made tyler laugh, it was so crazy to him.  
but if lust put up his groceries and helped him make his bed, he didn’t really mind the company.   
it made him feel less lonely, anyway.


End file.
